


If My Heart Was A House You'd Be Home

by magnusbicon



Series: tumblr prompts [5]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Max had a plan, Mortality Issue, Time Travel, no thanks, not in the book way, soft boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-17 15:09:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11854152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnusbicon/pseuds/magnusbicon
Summary: Prompt: I've been loving your malec prompts and was wondering if you could write max and rafe accidental time travel to present day during a dw cabinet meeting.





	1. Before

Magnus was about two seconds away from falling asleep when it happened. He was sitting at the table he had set up in the loft for the Downworld meeting, listening to Meliorn drone on about something, when a portal opened up and two figures stumbled out. Everyone in the room tensed up, Alec already standing with an arrow ready to fire. No one should have been able to portal in through Magnus' wards.

The two intruders froze in place when they laid eyes on Alec, not saying a word. One of them was clearly a Warlock, with blue skin and hair and horns peeking out from his forehead, while the other was obviously a Shadowhunter, dark runes decorating his skin. They both appeared to be fairly young, though it was pretty much impossible to tell with Warlocks. The Shadowhunter, however, looked like he was in his mid-twenties. 

" _Dad_?" the Warlock said, his voice incredulous as he stared at Alec. Magnus watched as Alec's face paled, which was enough to break him out of his shock. 

"Okay, I think this meeting is over for today. You can go," he said to the others, who nodded and left quickly, despite their obvious suspicion. As soon as they were gone Magnus turned back to the strangers, who were now looking at him with wide eyes.

"Who are you and how did you get past my wards?" he said, snapping so that his magic flowed in blue wisps over his fingers. 

The two men exchanged a wary look, communicating silently for a few seconds before the Shadowhunter sighed and turned back to Magnus. "My brother just discovered a way to time travel, and he was messing around with it, going back in time only a couple of minutes. But then one of us must have been thinking of you two during the spell, probably because we know you would beat our asses if you caught us, and somehow we ended up here."

Alec looked even more confused than before, but some of the color had returned to his face, which Magnus took as a win. "Why would you be thinking of us? Who are you?" Alec asked, and Magnus could tell it was taking him a lot of effort to keep his cool. He still had an arrow aimed between them, ready to let it fly at any moment.

"I'm Max, and that's Rafael," the Warlock answered. He said the words slowly, as though he was building up the courage to say something else. "We're your children, dad."

"And you too, papa," Rafael said, turning to look at Magnus. "You clearly don't know us yet, but in the future you adopt us."

The room was silent save for the sound of Alec lowering his arms and letting his bow drop to the floor, his mouth slowly opening in disbelief. He turned to look at Magnus for a moment, an expression on his face that he had never worn in front of his boyfriend before. It was a mixture of fear, wonder, and if Magnus wasn't mistaken, understanding, as if the world suddenly made sense. A pleasant chill ran down Magnus' spine when he realized that he felt the same way. 

He had known for a long time that he wanted to spend the rest of Alexander's years with him, had even pictured their future together, but for some reason he never imagined what having kids with him would be like. Now that he had just the slightest glance, he couldn't imagine  _not_  having them. Just the thought of Alec as a dad made Magnus want to smile for eternity, but he settled for letting a wide grin spread across his face. Alec smiled back just a few seconds later, and they both knew their fate was sealed.

"I hate to interrupt whatever it is you two are experiencing, but...you're so  _young_ ," Max said, and Alec turned back around when he realized that he was talking to him, pressing his mouth into a stern but slightly amused line.

"Really, Max? They're probably already freaked out enough. Look at their hands. They aren't even married yet," Rafael hissed quietly, and then cursed as Max raised an eyebrow at him, realizing that he had said something that could have been equally as mind-blowing. Except it really wasn't. Not anymore.

"How about instead of discussing future-altering topics, we get you two back to your own time. We have babies to make," Magnus said, sending them a wink, and Alec pressed his hands to his face as both of the men's expressions twisted into ones of minor disgust.

"Can you please stop scarring our future children, Magnus?" Alec said, and it sounded so natural and perfect that Magnus let out a content laugh.

"Trust me, we're used to hearing things like this. You two really haven't changed much, apparently." With that, Max began waving his hands to make the portal that would bring them home. 

"What do you mean?" Alec asked, once the portal was complete. Wind filled the room, causing everyone's hair to wave, and Max looked in between them for a few seconds, a soft smile that seemed almost uncharacteristic curving up his lips.

"You're still just as crazy about each other in our time," he replied, and before Alec or Magnus could say anything else, he grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him through the portal. They both stood there, watching as it closed behind them, leaving them in the wake of their new discovery.

Magnus recovered before Alec did, and he watched him for a few moments as he stared at the place where Max and Rafael had stood just minutes ago before he approached him. He slid his arms around Alec's waist from the side, resting his chin on his shoulder and looking up at his face. "You okay?" he asked softly, and Alec finally tore his eyes away from the spot, smiling down at Magnus.

"Yeah, it's just- is it weird that I already miss them? We barely even talked, but they felt...right. Vital, almost." He barely spoke above a whisper, but Magnus swore his heart doubled in size the second the words hit his ears. Alec was going to be such a wonderful father. It was plain as day. He only hoped that he would be a good one as well.

"No, it's not weird at all. I feel it, too."

Alec kissed the top of Magnus' head, then turned in his arms to face him, placing his hands on his hips and pressing his face into his boyfriend's neck. They stayed like that for another few minutes, letting everything sink in, before Alec finally broke the silence.

"So, you said something about making babies?" he said jokingly, and Magnus let out a long, loud laugh, breaking the silence that had enveloped them. 

"Come here," he said, placing a hand on the back of Alec's head and guiding their lips together.

\----

Years later, Magnus and Alec shared a knowing smile as they came upon a small Warlock with blue skin and hair, horns peeking out from his forehead, and they both knew that there was much more happiness to come.


	2. After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: can you write a like a part 2 of your max and rafe time traveling fic where they go back to their present and alec and magnus find out they've been time traveling and saw a younger version of themselves??

Magnus was livid.

It didn't happen often anymore when it came to Max and Rafael, considering they were grown men who should have been capable of functioning properly on their own. For the most part they did. They went about their business, and Magnus and Alec went about their own. They still used dinner together every Sunday night as a method of keeping in touch, but they were on their own paths, out in the real world. Apparently, however, they still needed some guidance.

He had been in the middle of mixing a potion when the flashbacks hit him, taking over his vision like a blindfold. They flew by in his mind so fast that he only grasped onto a few of them. A conversation about adoption and marriage, a glimpse of a joyous smile on Alec's face as he grasped a small blue hand, a breath of relief from himself as Alec walked through the door with a tiny Rafael. He knew that his memory had been altered significantly, he just didn't know how or why.

He found out a few moments later when he heard sudden footsteps sound in the entrance area of the loft. He opened his study door and walked down the hallway to find Max and Rafael, standing with shocked expressions on their faces as a portal closed behind them. They didn't notice his presence yet, and spoke in low voices.

"I cannot believe we just did that. We could've erased ourselves from dad and papa's lives!" Rafael hissed, glaring at his brother. Max glared right back, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"Don't act like you're innocent in this. You were all fascinated with it up until now, and you're the one who told them who we are."

"You gave me the look!"

"I gave you no  _look_!"

Their voices began to rise in volume as they fought, throwing blame back and forth as if it mattered in the slightest. Magnus had no idea what was going on yet, but he knew it was bad. His blood heated up, and he spoke in a hard tone, cutting right through their continued argument.

"So, are you two planning on filling me in?" he asked, leaning casually against the wall. They both froze for a few seconds, and then turned slowly, spotting Magnus. They tried their best to look less guilty, but Rafael was horrible at lying and Max always overdid it when he attempted to hide something. Both of them looked slightly constipated, and Magnus stored that information in the back of his head to laugh at later, because he definitely didn't feel like laughing at that moment.

Before either of his sons could even open their mouths to spout out a barely-concealed lie, he held up a hand, saying, "If you lie to me I will know. I always have known. Remember when you colored in my spell book and tried to blame it on your dad? You're still just as horrible at lying now as you were then. Spit it out."

Max and Rafael exchanged a look, and then Rafael spoke. "We went back in time and met younger versions of you and dad," he blurted out, and Max smacked him on the arm.

"What happened to forming a united front?"

Everything inside of Magnus stilled, and he felt coldness wash over him. That meant that not only was his memory affected, but Alec's was as well. He was out on a mission right now with Jace, who even in his middle ages had a tendency to stir up trouble. If they had been in the middle of a fight and those flashbacks hit Alec, he could be hurt. Taking a deep breath to keep himself from screaming, he pointed at the couch.

"Sit there and don't move," he said slowly, emphasizing every syllable. There was no room in his voice for negotiation. They quickly moved to the couch and sat, their eyes wide with fear. They looked just like they did when they were younger after Magnus had caught them doing one thing or another. They were little troublemakers, that could not be debated. Surprisingly, Alec had always been the good cop parent, whereas Magnus had no problem chewing them out when they did something wrong. The thought brought a bittersweet feeling to his heart, and he shook his head to clear his mind out. He only wanted what was best for them.

He went back into his study and shoved things aside on his desk until he found his phone, dialing Alec's number with expert speed. It rung five times, and then went to voicemail. He tried it again, not letting himself panic just yet. Alec most likely wasn't checking his phone if he was still on the mission, and if he was still on the mission he was probably fine.

The phone went to voicemail a second time, and Magnus took another deep breath. He wanted to yell, to get across to Max and Rafael just how dangerous what they did was, but all he could feel right now was worry. Worry that they may have harmed themselves, and worry that they harmed Alec as well. He took a brief moment to compose himself, then walked back out to where they were still sitting, speaking in hushed voices. They fell silent as he approached them, and he let out a sigh as he sunk into a chair beside the couch.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell either of you just how foolish that was," he said, looking back and forth between them. "Your father and I taught you better than that. You, especially, Max. You know the dangers of going back in time. Why would you risk doing something like this?"

"It was an accident, papa," Rafael said, speaking up for Max, who suddenly looked very upset. "We were only going back a few seconds, just testing it out, but then one of us must've thought of you and dad, and suddenly we were there. We didn't mean to mess anything up, but the past versions of you were two seconds away from taking us out, so we had to explain."

"What exactly did you say?" Magnus asked, trying to think on all of the new memories that he had received, but only finding a fumbled mess. It would most likely take a few days for the new ones to settle into his brain.

"We told you guys our names, that we are your children, and that you would adopt us one day," Rafael said, looking down at his hands which rested in his lap. "I also accidentally hinted that you would get married one day as well."

Magnus closed his eyes, an unpleasant shiver running down his spine. They could have altered the future so much that Magnus and Alec had never adopted them. Rafael could've died on the streets, and Max could've been found on the doorstep by someone else. The idea almost brought tears to his eyes, and he quickly refocused on the present. He had a feeling that he didn't have the whole story. Max still looked haunted, his eyes distant as though he was seeing something horrible in his mind.

"You could have changed everything. You understand that, right?" he asked quietly, opening his eyes once more, and the two men nodded.

"Okay."

Silence stretched between all of them for a few seconds, and then, "Just  _okay_?" Rafael stared at Magnus incredulously, like he had said something offensive. "No lecture?"

"No lecture. Now can you do me a favor and head to the Institute? I want to make sure that your dad is okay." Rafael still looked shocked, but he nodded, standing up quickly.

"Of course," he said, heading for the door. He reached it and then paused, turning back around. "I'm really sorry, papa. You know we would never intentionally do anything to hurt either of you. We love you."

"I love you, too, Rafe," Magnus said, his heart warming as he offered his son a smile. He knew that Rafael was being sincere, and he had no doubt that they hadn't meant to do any harm. He watched as Rafael exited through the door, staring at it for a few seconds after it closed behind him before turning back to Max.

"Are you going to tell me what's really going on?" Magnus asked him softly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "You've barely said a word." Max didn't answer or look up at him, staring at the ground like he wished it would swallow him up and let him escape from this conversation.

"Blueberry," he said, and Max finally looked up at the nickname. "You can tell me anything. Even if I get mad, you know I'm always in your corner. I always will be." Max looked hesitant for a moment, and then he let out a long breath, shaking his head.

"It wasn't an accident. Rafe assumed it was so I just went along with it, but I meant to do it. It's just that dad is getting older, and I can't stop thinking about the fact that one day he'll be gone and so will Rafe and you and I will just have to watch it happen. So I looked into it, and I learned how to do the spell, and I figured that if I succeeded, I would be able to go back every now and then and see them after...you know. I know it's stupid, and I knew that it was a bad idea, but I- I'm not ready to see either of them go, papa."

Magnus felt like someone had shoved his heart into a shredder on high power, and he sat back in his chair, speechless. He had no idea that Max was thinking about such things yet, though he supposed he should've guessed, considering he thought about it every day. Warlocks had a tendency to dwell on what their futures would entail, since they appeared to be unlimited. From the moment Magnus had started to care about Alec that exact thought had entered his mind daily, and he  _still_  sometimes wished that there was a way to fix it so that everyone would be happy.

"Oh, Max," he said, pulling himself out of his thoughts. He'd had years upon years to come to terms with this, and Max hasn't been around that long. "I'm so sorry that I didn't talk to you about this sooner." Magnus scooted forward and grabbed one of his son's hands in both of his.

"It's true that one day they will have to pass on, and I dread that day just as much as you do, trust me. But going back in time to see them, that won't give you anything new. It will only hurt you. When they pass away, you're going to want to remember them for who they truly were, and if you go back in time to see them, you could change that. You could cause irreparable damage." Max nodded along with his words, wiping at his eyes with his free hand. "They both love you so much, and I hope you know that just because they don't want to be immortal doesn't mean they want to leave us behind. But they still have so many more years ahead of them, Max. So many more laughs and beautiful moments that you'll be a part of. You have to focus on that for now, and when the time comes for them to leave us, you won't be alone. You'll have me. Always."

Max opened his mouth to say something, but instead he shut it quickly and practically jumped into Magnus' arms, hugging him tightly. They didn't say anything, just squeezed each other until Max's breathing calmed. When he finally let go, he wiped at his eyes once more, and Magnus smiled widely at him. Sometimes he forgot that being grown up didn't always mean that one had everything figured out. Alec certainly didn't have all of the answers at that age, and Magnus was sure he was a mess all those centuries ago.

The door opened before either of them could say any more, and Alec stepped through, a wary expression on his face. The streaks of gray hair on the side of his head shined in the light as he moved toward them, and Magnus grinned. Even in his forties, Alec was still the most beautiful man Magnus had ever laid eyes on.

"Rafe told me everything. Are you okay?" he asked, putting one hand on Magnus' shoulder and one on Max's. He searched Magnus' eyes, as though he could sense that something had just occurred between them. "What happened?"

Magnus spoke up before Max could say anything. "We're fine. Nothing happened. We were just talking about how this should never happen again. Right, Max?" He desperately hoped that Max would play along, if not for Alec's sake, then for his own. He didn't need either of them to allow the guilt keep piling up. The reality of their lives was something that was on the back burner for now, and Magnus wanted to keep it that way.

"Right," Max said smoothly. "I should go now. I'm sorry for what I did. It won't happen again." He met Magnus' gaze, and he knew that he was being sincere. Alec narrowed his eyes, but didn't push, dropping his hands to his sides.

"I'm just glad no one got hurt," Alec said. Max looked at him for a moment, hesitating, then stepped forward to hug him. Alec looked shocked for a second, but then he wrapped his arms around his son, a small smile adorning his face.

"I love you, dad," Max said, and Magnus could practically see Alec's happiness bloom inside of him. His smile widened as he replied, "I love you, too, Blueberry. Now stay out of trouble, will you?"

Max pulled back, letting out a small laugh, and nodded. "Will do." With that, he walked around the coffee table and waved his hands to make a portal.

"I'll see you on Sunday," he said to both of them, and waved before stepping through.

In a way that seemed oddly familiar, they both stared at the place where Max had been standing just a moment ago, smiles on their faces. Eventually Alec turned around, raising an eyebrow as he said, "So what did I miss?"

"Me, I would hope," Magnus said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Alec's chest. He watched as the skin around Alec's eyes crinkled when he smiled, and he finally felt like he was standing on solid ground again. Alec opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a small explosion coming from down the hallway.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, alarmed, and Magnus sighed, leaning forward to replace the hand on Alec's chest with his forehead.

"That would be the potion I was making earlier before all of this happened."

Alec laughed at that, and Magnus knew that even small moments like this that seemed insignificant would stay with him after his husband was gone, and even though looking back on them would be painful, he would never regret the love that had opened up his heart in a way he never thought possible.

Alec was his sunshine and his night light; Alec was his  _everything_ , and nothing, not even time, could erase that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send me prompts/come chat on tumblr: magnusbicon!


End file.
